The invention relates to a method for checking a product for manipulation. The invention furthermore relates to a seal and a system for the sealed transport of objects of value.
For ensuring the authenticity and intactness of a product, the product is normally provided with a seal. With the help of the seal, often also referred to as security seal, it can be ascertained whether a manipulation has been performed on the product. The intactness of the product shows at the same time its intactness and is often valid as a proof of its authenticity. The product can be a container in which there is arranged an object to be secured.
The seal does normally not prevent a manipulation of the product and/or of the object in the product; it normally serves merely as a manipulation proof. E.g., by the seal it is proved that a container for sensitive contents, for example a transport box for objects of value, an envelope, or a housing of a calibrated instrument, e.g., counter, has not been opened (without authorization). If the seal is not destroyed (broken, attacked), one can assume that the sensitive content was not manipulated. Only authorized persons may usually attach and remove seals.
Seals are employed in different configurations. There are seals which are attached to the product to be sealed in a liquid state of aggregation, for example letter envelope (wax seal). Furthermore, seals can be arranged onto the product by mechanically locking them. Seals can be formed similar to a cable tie and be arranged onto the product to be sealed, preferably a container. Via the seal an access to contents in the product can be proven. Such mechanical seals can be used for sealing containers for bank notes (cash box) or containers for sterile medical instruments. Furthermore, there are known areal adhesive seals. The adhesive seals are formed as an adhesive strip and are glued, for example, onto an opening region of a transport container. For opening the transport container, the seal must be ripped. The seal can be optically checked by the human eye.
Seals can be provided with printed information. The information can be applied, for example, in text form or encoded, for example as a 2D code, e.g. bar code or QR code.
In the example of monetary cycle, bank notes are arranged in bundled fashion in a cash box. The cash box is mechanically sealed with the help of a mechanical seal. The seal has a bar code printed thereon which reproduces the value of the content of the cash box. For opening the cash box, the seal must be destroyed. When handing over the cash box at a destination, the seal is checked optically and manually for damage. If there is no damage, the seal is considered to not have been forced open and there is no unauthorized access to the cash box or the contents thereof.
With solutions of the prior art, the intactness of a product can be verified. Non-permissible or unauthorized manipulations on objects of value and sensitive objects can be proven. Manipulated objects or objects which were potentially manipulated without authorization can be recognized optically.
The hitherto known possibilities require a high personnel expense. The level of automation is low. In addition, an attacker could repair or replace a broken seal, so that an optical recognition of an unauthorized manipulation is not or hardly possible by an employee.